University delivers Loyal Address to King Charles III

A delegation from the University of St Andrews took part in a long-held tradition at Buckingham Palace last week (Thursday 9 March).

University Chancellor, Lord Campbell of Pittenweem, led the deputation in delivering a Loyal Address to HM King Charles III.

The University is one of 27 Privileged Bodies – institutions and organisations which have helped shape UK society and have a historic right to present a Loyal Address to the Sovereign. Lord Campbell introduced and delivered the University’s Address to His Majesty.

The Address highlighted the University’s goals: “Since its foundation in 1413 the University of St Andrews has been a place of scholarship, teaching, and the pursuit of knowledge.

“Our mission has been to nurture and encourage our students, staff, and graduates to embrace the principles of fairness, excellence, and opportunity. That is a mission which strongly resonates with your own vision for a fairer, more inclusive world.”

Responding to the Privileged Bodies, HM The King remarked: “Whether in the fields of education, science, or the arts, or whether as representatives of the faith communities or of civic organisations, you advance our knowledge and our understanding of how we relate to each other and the world about us.

“You underpin the very foundations upon which our country is built and help to construct a framework of excellence and achievement within which our civil society functions and our national narrative can be formed.”

The tradition dates back as far as the seventeenth century and takes place to mark significant Royal occasions. The last time the University was invited to deliver a Loyal Address was in 2012, on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee of HM Queen Elizabeth II.